Ireland on course to meet internationalisation targets according to HEA report
By Aoileann Ní Bhroin
The third report of the Higher Education Authority (Parent Body of the Erasmus+ National Agency) on the Higher Education System Performance 2014–2017 has been presented to the Minister for Education and Skills. The report commends the higher education institutions on their achievements. “They have diversified income streams, cut costs, run down historic surpluses and invested in international education to meet student demand and stay afloat through the period of austerity. Institutions have sought to recruit more international students or to reduce spending on capital projects in an environment where fixed costs, such as those relating to staff, constitute the greatest proportion of their budget but where the policy framework is largely outside their control.”
The report states that in 2016-17, international students constituted 18.3% (32,989) of all full-time enrolments in 2016-17 up from 17.2% in 2014-15. Incoming Erasmus+ students to Ireland in 2016-17 accounted for 23% of the international students total.
The USA sends most students to Ireland (4,771 whole-time equivalent – WTE) on full degree programmes followed by China and Saudi Arabia. The UK is the top sending country for degree mobility (non Erasmus+) – 1,294 WTE followed by France on 743 and Germany on 632.
